Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's plea seeking permission to participate in the state legislative assembly's budget session hit a roadblock as the Supreme Court dismissed it as withdrawn. 

The bench, led by Justice Surya Kant, noted that the session had already concluded between February 24 and March 2, rendering the plea moot. However, the bench, also including Justice KV Viswanathan, expressed interest in addressing the broader issue of whether a Chief Minister or MLA in custody should be allowed to partake in assembly proceedings.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, urged the court to keep the legal question open, despite the session's conclusion. Soren's quest for participation had faced previous setbacks when the Jharkhand High Court, on February 28, denied him permission to join the budget session. 

The contention before Justice SN Prasad's bench was that since no charge sheet had been filed against Soren, his right to participate in the session could not be curtailed solely based on allegations in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).

Prior to this, Soren's plea had been rejected by the PMLA court in Ranchi, where he is presently in judicial custody. The former Chief Minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. 

Despite these legal hurdles, Soren's legal team continues to press for his participation in legislative proceedings, highlighting the unresolved legal question surrounding the rights of elected representatives in custody.